The present invention relates generally to the field of medical diagnostic and imaging systems. More particularly, the invention relates to a technique for facilitating field service of medical diagnostic equipment by permitting field service engineers or personnel to access data files, image files, and the like, and to interface directly with the diagnostic equipment via a remote link through a centralized service facility. The technique also permits the field engineer to interactively communicate with the scanner or a centralized operator or control station at a medical diagnostic facility for the purpose of reporting service results, and so forth.
Medical diagnostic and imaging systems are ubiquitous in modem health care facilities. Such systems provide invaluable tools for identifying, diagnosing and treating physical conditions and greatly reduce the need for surgical diagnostic intervention. In many instances, final diagnosis and treatment proceed only after an attending physician or radiologist has complemented conventional examinations with detailed images of relevant areas and tissues via one or more imaging modalities.
Currently, a number of modalities exist for medical diagnostic and imaging systems. These include computed tomography (CT) systems, x-ray systems (including both conventional and digital or digitized imaging systems), magnetic resonance (MR) systems, positron emission tomography (PET) systems, ultrasound systems, nuclear medicine systems, and so forth. In many instances, these modalities complement one another and offer the physician a range of techniques for imaging particular types of tissue, organs, physiological systems, and so forth. Health care institutions often dispose of several such imaging systems at a single or multiple facilities, permitting its physicians to draw upon such resources as required by particular patient needs.
Modem medical diagnostic systems typically include circuitry for acquiring image data and for transforming the data into a useable form which is then processed to create a reconstructed image of features of interest within the patient. The image data acquisition and processing circuitry is often referred to as a xe2x80x9cscannerxe2x80x9d regardless of the modality, because some sort of physical or electronic scanning often occurs in the imaging process. The particular components of the system and related circuitry, of course, differ greatly between modalities due to their different physics and data processing requirements.
Medical diagnostic systems of the type described above are often called upon to produce reliable and understandable images within demanding schedules and over a considerable useful life. To ensure proper operation, the systems are serviced regularly by highly trained personnel who address imaging problems, configure and calibrate the systems, and perform periodic system checks and software updates. Moreover, service offerings have been supplemented in recent years by remote service centers capable of contacting scanners at subscribing institutions directly without the need for intervention on the part of the institution personnel. Such remote servicing is intended to maintain the diagnostic systems in good operational order without necessitating the attention of physicians or radiologists, and is often quite transparent to the institution.
In certain remote servicing systems, a computerized service center may contact a scanner via a network to check system configurations and operational states, to collect data for report generation, and to perform other useful service functions. Such contacts can be made periodically, such as during system xe2x80x9csweepsxe2x80x9d in which a variety of system performance data is collected and stored with historical data for the particular scanner. The data can then be used to evaluate system performance, propose or schedule visits by service personnel, and the like.
While such service techniques have proven extremely valuable in maintaining diagnostic systems, further improvements are still needed. For example, in conventional service systems, contact between the scanners and a centralized service center most often originates with the service center. The scanners are provided with only limited functionality in the ability to identify and define service needs. Even where the scanners have permitted some limited ability to contact networked service providers, intermittent conditions indicative of a potentially serviceable problem may cease by the time the service provider is contacted or recontacts the scanner after a service call. Moreover, although the transparency of interactions between scanners and service centers avoids unnecessarily distracting medical personnel with service updates, it has become apparent that some degree of interaction between service centers and institutions would be highly desirable. In particular, an interactive service system would facilitate valuable exchanges of information, including reports of system performance, feedback on particular incidents requiring attention, updates of system licenses, software, imaging protocols, and so forth. Currently available service systems do not permit such interactive exchanges.
In addition to the foregoing drawbacks, conventional scanners are not suitably adapted to support user-friendly, scanner-based service exchanges. User interfaces in such scanners typically only permit limited access to service information, and do not provide a particularly useful interface for identifying and defining serviceable conditions as they occur. Moreover, software platforms and interfaces in conventional scanners are not suitable for interaction with service centers, and generally exclude the user from communications between the scanner and the service center or, conversely, impose unnecessarily on the user by requiring intervention for certain service functions such as software updates or downloads. Furthermore, platforms have yet to be developed that can serve as a base for interactive servicing needs of different modalities. Rather, such platforms have traditionally been specifically designed for the needs of a particular modality or even a particular scanner with little cross utility between systems or modalities.
While certain improvements in diagnostic stations has been made for certain modalities, these are still insufficient to satisfy the current need. For example, graphical user interfaces are available for specific modality scanners, such as ultrasound scanners, which enable software downloads and remote access to images. The remote access features are, however, generally limited to transmitting image configurations and image data for reconstruction between remote physician workstations and the scanner. At present, no systems provide for exchanging information on possible service problems with the scanners, or information or data log files for the purpose of providing remote service of the scanner itself.
There is a need, therefore, for an improved approach to rendering remote field service to medical diagnostic systems. There is a particular need for an approach which permits interactive exchange of information, such as service requests and data, between diagnostic systems, remote or centralized field service facilities, and field service units.
The present invention provides a technique for rendering remote field service to medical diagnostic and similar equipment designed to respond to these needs. The inventive technique provides a field service station or unit which can formulate, send and receive service requests and data via a remote service facility linked to a plurality of medical diagnostic systems. The service unit may include a portable computer which is transportable and can be linked to a centralized service center via a network connection. Where desired, the field service unit may be adapted to be linked directly to a diagnostic system. The service center provides interactive two-way communication with diagnostic equipment. The field engineer can thereby communicate directly and interactively with the diagnostic equipment, such as for receiving field service requests, scheduling field service, evaluating particular needs as they arise, reporting the results of field service calls, and so forth. The technique also facilitates coordination of field service for a wide range of modalities, permitting the field engineer to interact with scanners of the different modalities through a uniform and consistent platform and interface. User viewable interface pages may be employed to view diagnostic and other information about the system either from a field engineer station or from a remote service facility. Similarly, information such as problem/solution presentations, service history, and so forth may be viewed either from the field engineer station or from the diagnostic equipment. The field engineer station may also serve to initiate communications, such as electronic messages, relating to services performed or suggested procedures via bulletin boards or other interactive communications.